2/15/12
The Survivor GTE Starts!

We started the Survivor 250GTE this week! It was quite an achievement because 2259 had been parked since 1969! All the mechanical systems needed to be rebuilt and checked from the brakes, suspension, transmission, and engine, and hearing the V-12 engine fire up after over 40 years of dormancy was pretty cool.

After the start up, we still had a list of things to complete and a couple of other issues came up. The water pump seal was not working properly, and there was an exhaust leak coming from one of the header flanges. The rear section of the exhaust system still needs to be fixed or fabricated, but this car has come a long way since she was delivered to our shop in April of last year!

After I tired tightening the header bolts with no result, the only choice was to pull the header off and find the source of the leak. On closer inspection, the rear most flange was not perfectly straight, so I had to file off some material to meet match the others. With everything back together, and some high temp sealant on the gaskets, we had a leak free header.

Francois was anxious to take the car out for a spin to check all the other mechanicals on the car, so I tightened down the partial exhaust we had on the car, and set off for her first test drive. Five kilometers, or about 3 miles brought very nice news. The transmission and overdrive unit shifts smoothly, with synchros working well. There are no vibrations from the drive line or wheels at speed, and the steering is nice and tight. I think the brake pads need some more bedding, but other than that, Francois said, “I think the owner is going to have a nice car!”

With about 40,000 original miles on this car, it’s probably one of the lowest mileage, original paint and interior 250GTEs in the world!

Sitting in the passenger seat on our test drive, I noticed the vent window was flopping around. This is usually controlled by a knob in the door panel, but something was amiss.

The door panel showed signs that someone had been in there before after it left the factory, but all the parts and pieces were still intact.

I took a closer look at the vent window mechanism, and found it was missing the coupling shaft that connected it to the vent window.

Looking down inside the bottom of the door laid the missing shaft. Problem solved!

A client of mine has a Lusso Transmission for sale. It’s a 250 4-speed transmission. If anyone is interested, let me know.

Reminder: If you have a Ferrari related project, car, or idea you’d like to explore, I’d love to talk to you. I can also help if you’re thinking of buying or selling. This website represents what I love to do, and now it’s how I make a living, so if you’d like to do something together, let me know. It all begins with an e-mail!

Previous Restoration Day
Next Restoration Day
Home page